10 vie for four seats on County Court bench

Incumbent judges don't often face competition when they seek re-election, but it's been known to happen.

In the Aug. 14 primary, two Broward County judges are facing challenges. One, Robert F. "Bob" Diaz of Group 10, has been on the bench since 1992 and is facing two challengers, attorneys Roshawn Banks and Randy Goodis.

Banks, a former public defender now working in foreclosure and criminal defense, said she's not intimidated by Diaz's length of service. "In Broward, it's almost like being a judge is a lifetime appointment, and it shouldn't be," Banks said. "It's the people's seat."

Goodis, a former prosecutor and public defender, agreed, arguing that he has a better temperament than the incumbent. "In my opinion, at the end of a busy workday everybody that has come before me … will feel that the decision I rendered was fair," he said.

Diaz welcomed the challenges and said his record warrants re-election. "We're in the people business," he said. "You never know what's going to happen, and you need to be fair-minded with everyone who comes before you."

County Court judges handle traffic, small claims, landlord-tenant disputes and most misdemeanors. Larger claims and felonies are handled by the 17th Judicial Circuit, which covers Broward County but is classified as a state government office.

The other incumbent facing a challenge is Terri-Ann Miller, who has held the Group 32 seat since 2007. As someone who has run against a sitting judge in previous election cycles, Miller said she expects opposition as part of the job. "I've run campaigns before," she said. "Voters deserve a choice."

Golden said she's running to provide not just a choice, but a better alternative to the incumbent. "I am ready for the job," said Golden, a former public defender now working in civil litigation.

In two remaining races, five candidates are looking to replace judges who are stepping down later this year.

County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman is running against private lawyer Kathleen "Katie" McHugh for the Group 6 seat being vacated by Fred Berman.

McHugh said she is the better candidate in part because she has tried more than 100 cases in her 18-year career as a lawyer, many as a public and private defender in criminal matters.

Lieberman concedes she has less trial experience, but points to her civil practice and her record of 28 years in elective office, often overseeing quasi-judicial proceedings, as qualifications for the job.

In Group 5, the seat being vacated by Leonard Feiner, assistant Public Defender Olga Levine and private lawyers Robert "Bob" Nichols and Richard Alan Sachs are competing for their first electoral victory.

"As a lawyer, I'm an advocate," said Sachs. "I always help one side at the expense of the other. A judge has the opportunity to help both sides, and that's what I want to be able to do; help everybody."

Levine, who works extensively with children and adults with mental health issues, said she would bring a measure of compassion and diversity to the bench.

Nichols, a criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor, said he would seek to expand treatment options as alternatives to jail sentences for certain offenders.